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KLRU chooses programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together.
For July 2016, we have the following lined up:

Monday, July 4, at 7:00 pm & 8:30 pm: A Capitol Fourth
Join the festivities for America’s national Independence Day. The celebration of our country’s 240th birthday airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol before an audience of hundreds of thousands and millions at home.

PBS NewsHour Convention Coverage
Veteran journalists Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff anchor complete live coverage of the Republican and Democratic national political conventions, from the opening gavel to its official close. Between speeches and events on the convention floor, Ifill and Woodruff interview political newsmakers and solicit analysis and perspective from NEWSHOUR regulars Shields and Brooks, presidential historians and others.

KLRU chooses programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together.
For June 2016, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, June 8 at 7pm:Skeletons of the SaharaThis film tells the story of scientist Paul Sereno’s amazing discovery of a prehistoric human burial ground in the middle of one of the world’s most forbidding desert. Like many great scientific discoveries, this one happens by accident. Sereno, one of the world’s leading experts in finding fossils of dinosaurs and ancient crocodiles, is on an expedition to Niger, in Saharan Africa.

Wednesday, June 22 at 7:00 pm: Great Polar Bear Feast
Investigate the problems facing a unique population of polar bears due to climate change. At the heart is an extraordinary event – the annual gathering of up to 80 polar bears on Barter Island in the Arctic Ocean each September.

Wednesdays at 8:00 pm (June 29-July 13): 9 Months That Made You
Discover the story of how you were made, from the moment of conception to the moment of birth 280 days later. Follow the gestation process, the most exquisite biological choreography found in nature.

KLRU chooses programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. For May 2016, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, May 4 at 7 pm:NATURE “The Last Orangutan Eden”
Ecologist Chris Morgan travels to the jungles of Northern Sumatra to document the work being done to save its population of wild orangutans, which is quickly dwindling due to deforestation. Morgan travels to a peat swamp forest known as Suaq Balimbing.

Sunday, May 29 at 4:30 pm:National Geographic Bee
The annual National Geographic Bee returns for the 28th year, with award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien serving as host and moderator. State Geographic Bee Winners from across the country compete in the National Geographic Bee.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. For April 2016, we have the following lined up:

Monday & Tuesday, April 11 & April 12 at 8:00 pm: Jackie Robinson(both episodes repeat back-to-back on Sunday, April 17 starting at 1 pm)
It’s the premiere of Ken Burns’ JACKIE ROBINSON. By changing the racial equation of our national pastime, Jackie Robinson set out to prove that black Americans could compete as equals. He was greeted with ugly abuse, with shouts and bean balls, and hate mail that threatened his life. But in the end, he would do more to help black Americans stake their claim to justice and equal rights “than Congress itself,” according to one writer of the era. This film looks at not just Robinson’s life in baseball, but at its complex whole.

Wednesday, April 20 at 8:00 pm: NOVA “Wild Ways”Top predators in ecosystems from North America to Africa share a natural trait: the instinct to roam. But at every turn there are human-made barriers: roads, fences, farms and cities. Species such as lions, elk, grizzly bears, antelope, tigers and elephants, are penned up for their own protection in parks and preserves. “Connectivity conservation,” as it’s called, offers a hopeful new approach to preserving keystone species by linking refuges with tunnels, bridges and protected land corridors.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. For March 2016, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m.: Year in Space
This documentary will track Scott Kelly’s mission from training to launch, through his 12 months aboard the International Space Station, right up through his descent and landing. Following Scott in space and his identical twin Mark Kelly at home on Earth, the special will tell the story of what it takes, mentally and physically, to spend a year in space.

Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m.: NATURE “Soul of the Elephant”
Award-winning filmmakers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert start with the remains of two bull elephants and through a series of key flashbacks, look at the lives they would have led, the dramas they may have seen, their great migrations for water with their families, and their encounters with lions and hyenas.

Wednesday, March 30 at 7 p.m.: NATURE “Animal Reunions”Feel the emotion as keepers and carers reunite with the wild animals that were once in their care to learn whether the close interspecies bonds that developed over many years in refuges and orphanages have stood the test of time.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. For February 2016, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00 pm: NATURE “Mysterious Monkeys of Shangri-La”
The true story of a family of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys living in the highest forests in the world. This is a unique monkey society, formed in response to the hardships of the Himalayas.

Monday, February 8 at 9:00 pm (repeats on Sunday, February 14 at 3:00 pm): Independent Lens “A Ballerina’s Tale”
Few dancers make it to the highest levels of classical ballet; of that already small number only a fraction of them are black women. Misty Copeland pulled herself up the ladder at American Ballet Theater from studio company to principal dancer, becoming arguably the biggest star in dance today.

Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00 pm: NATURE “Raising the Dinosaur Giant”
Have scientists discovered the biggest animal to have ever walked the planet? Deep in a South American desert, a giant is being awakened after 101 million years of sleep. Sir David Attenborough guides us through the journey of waking the giant as it happens.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. For January 2016, we have the following lined up:

Friday, January 1 at 6:30 pm: Great Performances “From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2016”
Always one of “our favorite things,” the Vienna Philharmonic at the opulent Musikverein features everyone’s favorite Strauss Family waltzes accompanied by the beautiful dancing of the Vienna City Ballet. Stage and screen legend Julie Andrews returns as host.

Sunday, January 17 at 3:00 pm: The March
Witness the compelling and dramatic story of the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his stirring “I Have a Dream” speech. This watershed event in the Civil Rights Movement helped change the face of America. The film reveals the dramatic story behind the event through the remembrances of key players such as Jack O’Dell, Clarence B. Jones, Julian Bond and Andrew Young.

Monday, January 18 at 7:00am and 2:30pm: Nature Cat
The week of January 18-22 kicks off on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day school holiday with a one-hour special featuring four brand new adventures featuring SNL voices for Daisy, Squeeks, Hal, and our eponymous hero, Nature Cat. The backyard gang travels near and far as they try to find the answers to some of life’s nagging nature questions, like “Where do streams begin?” and “What’s at the end of the rainbow?”

In this astonishing program filled with innovative photography and scientific revelation, we investigate how our favorite pets get in touch with their wild side through play. From talkative budgies, marathon-running hamsters, wall-climbing cats and diving dogs, as well as an island where rabbits rule and a city where dogs live a secret double life – discover how our pets’ playful games are just a whisker away from the wild.

In a program packed with incredible filming techniques, from Schlieren photography that makes smells visible, to moving X-rays, ultra slow-motion, and ultraviolet vision as well as HD horsecams and doggycams, discover how our pets experience the world through their astonishing senses and hidden channels of communication. This episode includes the sensory secrets of budgies, horses, guinea pigs and goldfish as well as the remarkable abilities of hamsters, cats and dogs.

Tom Xia emigrated from mainland China to California at age eight. A series of Chinese toy recalls forces Xia’s neighbors, the Joneses, to have their son tested for lead poisoning. With China’s assent to world superpower status heating up American fears, Xia challenges the Joneses to make it through the Christmas season without any Chinese products, beginning a journey to find American identity amongst all the American media hype, Chinese nationalist propaganda and cultural misunderstandings.

The honey badger is a relentless, fearless, little creature renowned for its ability to confront grown lions, castrate charging buffalo, and shrug off the toxic defenses of stinging bees, scorpions, and snakes. Little is known about its behavior in the wild or why it is so aggressive. This film follows three badger specialists in South Africa who take on these masters of mayhem in ways that must be seen to be believed.

Beneath the streets of Rome lies an ancient city of the dead known as the Catacombs — a labyrinth of tunnels, hundreds of miles long, lined with tombs. Now, NOVA goes inside a previously-unknown complex within the tunnel system: a mysterious mass grave, locked away for nearly 2000 years. NOVA’s forensic investigation opens up fascinating new insights into the daily life and health of Roman citizens at the heyday of its mighty empire.

Craft in America Celebration airs Wednesday, December 16 at 9 p.m.
This new episode explores craft artists, objects and traditions of various holidays, featuring Lion Dancers and float builders of San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade, ceramic artists in Detroit making festive pieces, Kwanzaa celebrations in Chicago and Oakland, and woodblock Christmas cards made by Yoshiko Yamamoto in Washington state.

Daytripper Grapevine, Tx airs Thursday, December 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Chet heads to Grapevine, the “Christmas Capital of Texas” to catch the spirit of the season. He visits Main Street to eat at a French bakery, tours a winery, sees amazing sculptures of ice at the Gaylord Texan, and finishes it off on the historic railroad bound for the North Pole.

Lidia Celebrates America Home For The Holidays airs Saturday, December 19 at 4:30 p.m.
It’s the premiere of “Home for the Holidays.” This new program is the fifth in the Lidia Celebrates America series with beloved PBS host Lidia Bastianich. The program celebrates holiday traditions told through the voices of six celebrity guests: Rita Moreno, Christopher Walken, Ann Curry, Padma Lakshmi, Marcus Samuelsson and Carlo Ponti Jr. The deeply personal stories of each individual’s journey to and in America are all set against a backdrop in which they share a deliciously diverse Christmas dinner at Lidia’s home.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Santino Fontana and the Sesame Street Muppets airs Monday, December 21 at 8 p.m. and repeats Thursday, December 24 at 8 p.m.
Four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and veteran movie and television star Peter Graves join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square in the premiere of an annual holiday concert that this year includes African-American spirituals and a medley of contemporary favorites. Celebrate the holidays with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from Salt Lake City with guests Santino Fontana, the voice of Hans from the Disney movie “Frozen” and the Muppets from Sesame Street.

It’s the premiere of Christmas at Belmont 2015, an annual Belmont University tradition celebrating the holiday season and the musical diversity and rich talent of the university’s School of Music. The concert features Kathy Mattea and more than 400 student voices joining with School of Music faculty to present the annual holiday production.

Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Christmas Shows airs Tuesday, December 22 at 7 p.m.
Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Shows features classic clips from beloved singer and television personality Andy Williams’ Christmas specials. The digitally re-mastered production numbers are complete with magnificent sets and costumes and a cast of singers, dancers and skaters. Quintessential moments include Williams’ solos on “Silent Night” and “Ave Maria,” as well as ensemles with his brothers on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and with the Osmonds on “Silver Bells.” Interviews with Williams, his son Bobby and Donny Osmond are interwoven with the clips.

Nature Magic of the Snowy Owl airs Wednesday, December 23 at 7 p.m.
Nature explores the world of the snowy owl, a bird recently made popular by Hedwig, Harry Potter’s faithful companion. Turning fantasy into reality, “Magic of the Snowy Owl” takes an intimate look at how these majestic birds survive in one of the most isolated and inhospitable places on the planet. Noted wildlife filmmaker Fergus Beeley (“Jungle Eagle”) takes viewers deep into the “snowy’s” tundra home on the North Slope of Alaska to observe the daily struggles involved in raising a family of helpless chicks until they are able to fly. Viewers will discover that these strikingly beautiful Arctic owls – essentially eagles, falcons and owls rolled into one – have a magic of their own.

Call the Midwife Holiday Special airs Friday, December 25 at 8 p.m.
Haul out the holly and celebrate a new Call the Midwife Holiday Special, premiering on Christmas night. Join the revels as Poplar readies itself for Christmas 1960. An unexpected surprise for a grieving mother brings the holiday magic home, while Nonnatus is rocked when one of its own disappears. A film crew promises to make this a memorable Christmas. This is the same date that the BBC1 will premiere the special in the UK!

Vicious Holiday Special airs Friday, December 25 at 9:30 p.m.
Vicious encores “Holiday Special.” Freddie (Ian McKellen) and Stuart (Derek Jacobi) host a holiday soiree in their small central London flat. Ash (Iwan Rheon), their young upstairs neighbor, has volunteered to cook the meal, their feisty best friend Violet (Frances de la Tour) is up to her old tricks, and a wicked game of “Truth or Dare” brings up hidden truths – and surprises as well.

Nature Animal Misfits airs Wednesday, December 30 at 7 p.m.
Life on earth is incredibly diverse, but it’s not always what you might expect. Alongside the fastest, strongest, smartest animals are nature’s misfits. These odd, bizarre and unlikely creatures at first glance seem ill-equipped for survival. Left at the starting line in the race for life, these are the apparent losers in the story of evolution, yet somehow they still manage to cling to life and in some cases even thrive. “Animal Misfits” reveals some surprising details about how evolution really works, demonstrating that all animals are remarkably well-adapted to their chosen way of life.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. In November 2015, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00 pm: EARTH’S NATURAL WONDERSPart 1: “Extreme Wonders”Wednesday, November 11 at 7:00 pm: Part 2: “Wonders of Water”Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 pm: Part 3: “Living Wonders“This three-part series travels to some of the most extraordinary places on Earth to tell the stories of the people who live there. Across our planet, there are a handful of places that just take your breath away – Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, the Amazon Rainforest. We call them Natural Wonders. They may be awe-inspiring, but these are also some of the most inhospitable places on the planet and they pose extraordinary challenges for those who call them “home.”

Wednesday, November 25 at 7:20 am & 2:50 pm: NATURE CAT PremiereNATURE CAT is a new animated series that encourages children to explore nature with voices from Saturday Night Live. The series will inspire viewers to get outdoors and develop connections with the natural world. Designed for kids ages 3-8, the multiplatform media property premiers this Thanksgiving along with integrated digital content and hands-on activities. Inspired by research on the health and educational benefits of spending time outside, NATURE CAT will encourage families to get active and go on their own outdoor adventures.

KLRU chooses three to four programs each month for your family to enjoy and view together. In October 2015, we have the following lined up:

Wednesday, October 7 at 7 pm: NATURE: Big Birds Can’t Fly
This is the unique story of flightless birds. They say a bird is three things — feathers, flight and song. But what happens when you’re a bird who can’t fly, who can’t sing and whose feathers are closer to fluff? Is this an evolutionary joke?

Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm: NATURE: Pets: Wild at Heart(part one of a two-part miniseries)
Episode 1: Playful Creatures
In this astonishing program filled with innovative photography and scientific revelation, we investigate how our favorite pets get in touch with their wild side through play. From talkative budgies, marathon-running hamsters, wall-climbing cats and diving dogs, as well as an island where rabbits rule and a city where dogs live a secret double life – discover how our pets’ playful games are just a whisker away from the wild.

Wednesday, October 28 at 7 pm: NATURE: Pets: Wild at Heart(part two of a two-part miniseries)
Episode 2: Secretive Creatures
In a program packed with incredible filming techniques, from Schlieren photography that makes smells visible, to moving X-rays, ultra slow-motion, and ultraviolet vision as well as HD horsecams and doggycams, discover how our pets experience the world through their astonishing senses and hidden channels of communication. This episode includes the sensory secrets of budgies, horses, guinea pigs and goldfish as well as the remarkable abilities of hamsters…